Justice in Aging is the only national organization that uses the power of law to fight senior poverty by securing access to affordable health care, economic security, and the courts for older adults with limited resources.
For more than 40 years we’ve focused our efforts primarily on populations that have traditionally lacked legal protection such as women, people of color, LGBT individuals, and people with limited English proficiency. Justice in Aging becomes a reality when the systems and programs in place to protect older adults from the harms of poverty are equally accessible to all. We fight for deep, systemic changes because Justice in Aging is the opportunity for everyone to age in dignity.
While recent census data shows that safety net programs are improving the lives of low-income Americans, racial disparities in poverty and wealth continue. In recognition of the structural racism that contributes to these disparities and ongoing police violence against Black people and other people of color we released a racial justice statement.
In fall of 2018, the Trump Administration released proposed new “public charge” regulations that would make it more difficult for immigrants, including immigrant older adults, to enter the country or become Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs). The proposal targets immigrants who use programs like Medicaid, the Medicare Part D Low-Income Subsidy (“Extra Help”) or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (SNAP), and assigns greater weights to age, disability, and limited English proficiency when considering a person’s application for admission or a greencard. Because these regulations would harm low-income older adults and their families, Justice in Aging took the lead in the aging sector in opposing those regulations. Access our “public charge” resources. The final rule was published in August 2019. Various states, counties, and advocacy groups are filing lawsuits.
In October 2015, The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released proposed regulations to address discrimination in health care settings. The proposed regulations, which were issued to implement Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, represent a positive step toward improving health equity. In summer 2019, the Trump Administration issued proposed regulations that would roll back many of those protections. Our comments and other resources defending the health care rights law are here. The final rule had not been published as of August 2019.
In spring 2019, as part of a series of attacks on immigrant communities, the Trump Administration proposed a rule that would prohibit 25,000 mixed immigration status families from living in public or other subsidized housing. Our resources to fight that rule can be found here. The final rule had not been published as of August, 2019.
